A worker heads to his side of the tunnel at the east portal of the Twin Tunnels. The project has shifts working 24 hours a day six days a week adding an eastbound lane from the east Idaho Springs interchange to U.S. 6, as well as the expansion of the eastbound tunnel to include three lanes and shoulders.

A toll lane will soon be added on eastbound Interstate 70 near the revamped Twin Tunnels to help ease traffic bottlenecks during high-volume parts of the week.

The plan will be discussed during a series of public meetings scheduled for later this year.

The exact toll that drivers will pay to avoid I-70 traffic has yet to be determined. However, motorists will likely see quick results on the highway once the toll lane opens up by late 2015, said Amy Ford, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation.

“Potentially, this could reduce travel times by as much as 45 percent on I-70,” Ford said.

The toll lane will stretch from U.S. 40 at Empire Junction to the western terminus of the Twin Tunnels in Idaho Springs. It will be built using the existing shoulder on I-70 with pavement added at interchanges and on bridges, according to CDOT.

The toll lane will be open during peak travel times such as Sunday and Saturday afternoons Ford said.

On Sundays in 2010, CDOT says speeds along I-70 were slower than 20 mph 35 percent of the time.

Some motorists divert to the frontage road along I-70, which makes traveling tough for local drivers, CDOT said.

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